Wrong move... 🤦🏻‍♂️ Earfun Air 2 Review vs Free Pro 3 vs Soundcore Liberty 4 NC

Today we’re going to look at the new Earfun Air 2. These are budget earbuds that absolutely nail most of the specs and features which will appeal to audiophiles on a budget because they are hi-res certified streaming over LDAC, has multipoint pairing, wireless charging, app support. BUT, it does not have active noise canceling nor does it have transparency mode. Is it a drawback? Depends on who you ask. There are options available now that do offer ANC and ambient passthrough for just a little bit more money, but from what I’ve seen in the comments, there are some people who don’t need those features.

Maybe it’s that feeling of pressure on the eardrums when using ANC, or maybe it’s the belief that it affects sound quality because of how ANC impacts the lower frequencies. If that is you, this could be a compelling alternative. Question is, how do they perform in terms of call quality and sound? That's precisely what we'll delve into next.

Testing its ANC.

One thing to note is that the battery stated on the box actually refers to when it’s not streaming over Hi-Res LDAC, but the basic AAC codec. When LDAC is activated, it’s rated to last up to 5.5 hours in the buds, and a total of 23 hours with case. You’ll need to be connected to an Android device and switch into LDAC mode using the Earfun app, during which you’ll be warned that it could impact bluetooth connectivity when using Multipoint. When I was at the mall connected to both my iPhone and S24 Ultra I did not experience signal dropouts, but your mileage may vary depending on type of device and location.

Mic Test Comparison: Earfun Air 2 vs Soundcore Liberty 4 NC vs Earfun Free Pro 3

Earfun Air 2.

Earfun Free Pro 3 and Soundcore Liberty 4 NC.

After testing the microphone, the Earfun Air 2 does well in quiet places and reduces background noise in noisy places. That being said, it can get overly aggressive at times, and actually cut into the voice itself.

Here's the Earfun Air 2 microphone pickup test compared to other budget options like the Earfun Free Pro 3 and Soundcore Liberty 4 NC. Listen to the mic test sample.

(Mic tested in both quiet and noisy conditions with loud cafe and fan noise.)

If you’d like to compare its call quality to other earbuds, do become a member for $1 per month or more. This gives you full access to my personal comparison tool which you can use to compare earbuds A to B at your own time, and at your own pace. Many people have joined up, especially people who can’t just simply visit a store to compare earbuds. They know it’s going to save them so much time being able to just cut through all the marketing, and compare these products remotely without visiting a store. So become a member like them, click on this link to find out more.

Sound Quality Comparison

The Earfun app does have a good selection of EQ presets to try, and a graphic EQ for you to manually set the sound to your tastes whether you’re a basshead, or trying to find the perfect balance for listening to podcasts.

On neutral settings, it does lean a little more bassy than previous Earfun earbuds like the Free Pro 3, with more fullness in the mids, but it also sounds more sizzling in soundstage and with certain higher pitched wind and string instruments. I reckon it’s because there seems to be a spike here between 6-7 khz where the brilliance region is. Against the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC, it wins in terms of fullness, but the Soundcore has better track separation focusing on vocals. Listen to the sound sample.

But if you don’t like that extra sizzle in the treble, you can always rely on the manual EQ and make it sound more mellow by turning down the 8khz band. It’s not targeting directly the 6-7 khz region but it’s better than nothing. Another thing that’s customizable in the app is the touch controls. Each gesture can be customized to a specific control so if you ever need to have the buds control scheme mirror each other, perhaps so that you can use the left and right one alone if you want to.

Conclusion

To conclude, the Earfun Air 2 will be a decent choice if you really don’t want active noise canceling. If you compare them to other budget buds in the market, you’re not going to miss out on much in terms of specs. Definitely for one that is Hi-Res certified and can stream LDAC even over multipoint. And for the price they do sound good, with decent call quality. Personally, as a product, the Air 2 feels lacking since it doesn’t do ANC or transparency.

In my opinion, if you’re leaning towards an Earfun product, the Free Pro 3 sounds like better value even though it’s more expensive. And if you’re open to consider other brands, the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC is a popular alternative, even if its charging case is larger. That being said, if you’re perfectly fine without ANC and transparency, the Earfun Air 2 is worth checking out.

If you’d like to check the latest prices of these earbuds, click on the Amazon links below.

Check Latest Price Earfun Air 2 - https://amzn.to/3SKS9b8
EarFun Free Pro 3 - https://amzn.to/3TpYY2y
Soundcore Liberty 4 NC - https://amzn.to/49U0W03

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